Almost 1,000 Saudis repatriated from Bahrain amid coronavirus crisis

The operation took four days to transport Saudis in Bahrain back via bus

A member of medical staff carries a swab test at a drive-thru testing facility at Bahrain Exhibition Center, in Manama, Bahrain. Reuters

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More than 950 Saudi nationals had been evacuated from Bahrain, the Saudi ambassador to Bahrain confirmed on Twitter.

Prince Sultan bin Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, appointed in January, confirmed 956 people were brought back to Saudi Arabia in the last four days and thanked Bahraini authorities for their assistance during the coronavirus crisis.

“I would also like to thank and appreciate the concerned authorities in the sisterly Kingdom of Bahrain for their efforts in facilitating the procedures for the evacuation of the stranded Saudi citizens and everyone who contributed to the success of the evacuation process,” he wrote on Saturday morning.

Earlier last week, the ambassador had confirmed those stranded would be brought back to Saudi Arabia by bus along the King Fahd Causeway and taken to the Eastern Province.

All would be given medical checks before being transferred to hotels for a period of quarantine.

The repatriation was “In compliance with the directives of King Salman and the crown prince to facilitate the procedures for the return of stranded citizens," he added.

The returning Saudis received medical checks before entering the Kingdom and were placed in specified hotels for quarantine upon arrival.

It came as the foreign ministers of both nations held a phone call to discuss political and security developments in the country, the Bahrain News Agency reported.

Bahrain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud stressed their commitment to further develop bilateral co-ordination and  called for joint cooperation to face the spread of Covid-19.

Bahrain has registered 998 cases of the virus, 551 recoveries and six deaths. Saudi Arabia has 3,651 cases, 685 recoveries and 47 deaths.